1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to the field of telecommunications, and in particular to telecommunication networks that offer services from third parties. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for controlling which Third Party Applications (TPA) can access a user's device (e.g., location, presence) on the telecommunications network and execute services for which the device will be billed on behalf of that user (e.g., create a voice call or send a message)
2. Description of the Related Art
A common trend in telecommunication services, including cellular phone services, is to offer more than simple voice service. Telecommunication services now offer games, voice mail, text messaging, directory assistance, Global Positioning System (GPS) based maps/directions, etc. A more recent trend is the use of Third Party Applications (TPAs) that offer such expanded services in a telecommunications network. For example, a TPA may offer an enterprise's employees a directory of telephone numbers that can be accessed from a cell phone on a telecommunications network. This TPA may be enriched with new capabilities such as being able to whether employees are currently available (presence) and whether they are in the same vicinity (location).
A concern about such TPAs, however, is access, and in particular, privacy. That is, there is a concern about which TPAs are authorized to access a particular user, execute services on their behalf, and how to protect information in that TPA from users who are authorized to access the TPA, but who are not authorized to access some of the more sensitive/private data or services that populates the TPA.